German cruise shipbuilding group Meyer Werft revealed plans to establish a center of excellence (CoE) for special vessels in Rostock.
As explained, the new CoE will be developing innovative solutions for shipbuilding. The focus will be on the development of eco-friendly propulsion technology as well as sustainable solutions for retrofitting existing fleets, research vessels and offshore units.
“For AIDA Cruises, we successfully put the world’s first LNG propulsion system into operation onboard the AIDAnova ,” Manfred Müller-Fahrenholz , managing director at Meyer Werft, said.
“ It’s not only the cruise industry which is waiting for more low-emission, climate-friendly and, last but not least, energy-efficient new developments. In all of these areas we strive for innovation leadership through the Rostock location – worldwide.”
Rostock was a preferred choice due to the maritime know-how of the region with a strong network of medium-sized partner companies, the proximity to the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, the Univesity of Rostock and Meyer Werft’s subsidiary Neptun Werft.
“In the first step, we would like to recruit around 50 engineers. The group currently employs a total of around 1000 engineers, but we need further reinforcement,” Malte Poelmann , member of the Meyer Werft management team responsible for technical offices, said.
“It is an investment in the future of the entire shipbuilding site in Germany,” Poelmann pointed out.
Despite the global corona crisis, Meyer Werft managed to keep all orders for the construction of new cruise ships.
In addition, an order has been received for a small cruise ship with LNG propulsion for the Japanese NYK group, which is “the only new construction contract for a cruise ship that has been awarded worldwide”.
At the end of July, the shipyard also received a contract to build a residential ship, the M/Y Njord, which, in addition to an LNG propulsion, has a hybrid battery and oceanographic research facilities on board.